Striking clock



1933- I P. B. REEVES 1,929,076

STRIKING CLOCK Filed Dec. 8, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Peter Blfieevese ATTORNE 06L 3, 1933. P B REEVES 1,929,076

STRIKING CLOCK Filed Dec. 8, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 jNVENTOR Peter IBReeves.

ATTCRNE Patented Oct. 3, 1933 1,929,076

UNITED "STATES PATENT OFFICE Application December 8, 1931.. Serial No. 579,665

8 Claims. (01. 58-8) This invention relates to striking clocks of the located therewithin, said arbors 1'7, and 18 being sO-called count wheel type, and more particusuitably journaled within a pair of front and larly to an attachment for such a clock, whereby rear frame plates 19 and 20. The frame plates the count wheel may be readily disconnected 19 and 20 are held in separated relation by a plu- 5 from the striking gear train for permitting the rality of horizontal pillars a and nuts 2017, the

clock and strike mechanism to be immediately dial plate 13 being rigidly connected to said front reset without the necessity of striking the clock frame plate 19, as by a plurality of forward spacaround. ing pillars 19a.

One object of this invention is to provide a The arbors 17 and 18 are synchronously oper- 10 device of the above nature in which the strike ated by a pair of gears 21 and 22 which in turn 5 train may be instantly reset into synchronism are driven by a constant speed spring-operated with the time train, without the necessity of clock movement, not shown. waiting for the striking mechanism to function at Mounted between the frame plates 19 and 20 each hour setting, a'swas formerly the case when is a strike train 23 which is driven by a main 15 striking the clock around. spring 24, and is controlled as to speed by an air A furtherv object is to provide a striking clock fly 25. e of the above nature having a small supplemen- In order to normally prevent rotation of the tary'dial marked on the front face thereof for strike train 23, provision is made of a count cooperating with and traversed by a rotatable wheel 26 having a plurality of sets of small teeth 20 pointer for indicating the next succeeding strik- 27 and deep notches 28 arranged around its peing hour. 1 riphery. The number of small teeth 27 between A further object is to provide a device of the the successive notches 28 increases around the above nature which will be simple in construcperiphery of the count wheel 26 in an arithmetic tion, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to install progression, whereby the strike train 23 will be 5 and manipulate, compact, ornamental in appearpermitted to run a successively greater. time at ance, and very eflicient and durable in use. each succeeding hour. If desired, auxiliary deep With theseand other objects in view there has notches 29 may also be provided adjacent the been illustrated on the accompanying drawings, notches 28 to permit half-hours to be struck. The one form in which the invention may be concount wheel 26 is rigidly attached to a hollow hub 30 venientlyv embodied in practice. 30 frictionally mounted upon a forwardly-ex- In the drawings: tending key post shaft 31 located between the Fig. 1 is'a fragmentary front view of a clock front frame plate 19 and the dial plate 13. The embodying the invention; key post shaft 31 is connected to the center of Fig. 2 is a front elevation view of the clock the main spring 24 and has a squared forward mechanism with the clock casing removed. end 31a for engagement by the square socket 31b Fig. 3 is aside view of the same. of a combination winding and setting key 310 Fig. 4 is a front perspective view of the count (see Fig. 5). A main gear wheel 32 is loosely wheel reset mechanism asit appears when assemmounted on the key post shaft 31 and through bled to the front frame plate. a pawl and ratchet device is operatively con- Fig. 5is a perspective view of a combination nected with the strike train 23. 5 .key'for winding the clock springs and for reset- To releasably hold the count wheel 26 against ting the count wheel. rotation, provision is made of a count hook 33 Referring now to the drawings in whigh lik rigidly secured to the front end of a pivoted reference numerals denote, corresponding part5 cross shaft 34 as by a collar 33a. The count hook 'throughout the several views, the numeral 10 in- 33 is designed to be lifted out of the notches 28 9 dicates a clock casing having the usual front iv y at the p p r ri i m s by an glass crystalll, and a circular sash 12 for reangular lift wire 35 attached to a pivot shaft 36 taining said crystal in position. The casing is located below and at one side of the shaft 34. also provided with a dial plate 13 having the Depending from the shaft 36 and rigidly usual time indicating figures 14 marked around m unt d th r n is a w n n w h v a the periphery thereof. The time of day is indilateral hook member 38 at its lower end for encated by the usual hour'hand 15 and a minute gaging the periphery of a cam 39 mounted upon hand 16, said hands 15 and 16 being respectively the minute hand arbor 18. The cam 39 is promounted upon the forward ends of a tubular vided with a double nose for the purposeof raisarbor 17, and a solid minute hand arbor 18 ing the lift wire 35 for withdrawing the count hook 33 from engagement with the count wheel at each hour and half-hour for permitting the striking mechanism to function in the usual manner.

Pivoted to the lower intermediate section of the frame plates 19 and 20 is an oscillatory horizontal shaft to which is attached a depending L-shaped hammer wire 41 which carries on its lower free end a gong-engaging hammer head 42, preferably having'a felt pad 43 at its lower end. A U-shaped gong rod 44 is located beneath said hammer head and is mounted in any suitable.

manner within the clock casing 10. The striking of the gong hammer 42 against the gong wire 44 is controlled by the count wheel 26 through the strike train 23 in the usual manner.

In order to disengage the count wheel 26 from the strike gear train 23 to permit the strike mecha nism and the hour and minute hands to be immediately reset without the necessity for striking the clock'around", provision is made of a shiftable pinion gear 45 which normally meshes with the teeth of the count wheel 26 and is slidably fitted upon the squared end 46 of a shaft 47. The pinion gear 45 is adapted to be pressed for wardly at all times on the shaft 4'? into mesh with the count wheel 26 by means of a forwardly plate 19 by a screw 53 driven into a bushing 54.

The spring lever 52 is provided with a central elongated slot 55 through which the squared shaft 46 is adapted to protrude, and thus permitting said lever 52 to lie flat against the front face of the shiftable pinion gear 45. A yoke member 56 is attached to the rear of the spring lever 52 and 'is provided with a slot 5'7 for receiving and'supporting the count hook 33.

The free end of the spring lever 52 has a horizontal push rod 58 extending forwardly through an aperture 59 in the dial plate 13 and having a knob 60 upon its extremity. The push rod 58 is provided intermediate its ends with an upwardly extending arm 61 having a forwardly extending button 62 preferably of a red color on its forward end. The button 62registers with an aperture 63 through which it is visible, and when the button 62 is flush with the dial plate 13, it indicates that the pinion gear 45' is in mesh with the count wheel 26. The dial plate 13 is provided with a small auxiliary dial 64 having marked thereon the figures 1 to 12 arranged at progressively increasing distances apart, as shown in Fig. 1.

The center of the auxiliary dial 64 is provided with an aperture through which extends the forward end of the hollow count wheel hub 30, the latter having a pointer member 67 detachably mounted thereon for visibly indicating in front of the dial the exact position of the count wheel The pointer member 67 is provided with a central aperture 68 having a radial slot 69 cut therein, said slot 69'being adapted to register with a corresponding longitudinal slot 70 in the hollow hub 30, I Y

The end of the key 310 opposite from the winding socket 312) has a shank '71 provided with a round socket, the interior diameter of said socket being sufficiently large to clear the squared end 310, of the key post shaft 31. The shank 71 is provided with a protruding lug 75 adapted to be inserted through the slots 69 and 70, and by means of which the count wheel 26 may be rotated to any desired position when the knob 60 of the springlever 52 is held inwardly by the operator.

Operation 1 In operation, assuming that the clock has stopped and that it is desired to set the time indicating hands and striking mechanism to correspond with the correct time, it will only be necessaryfor the operator to push the thumb knob 60 inwardly for simultaneously disengaging the count hook 33 and the pinion gear 45 from the count wheel 26. The hour and minute hands will then be set to the correct time. The operator will then insert the shank '71 of the key 31c into the hollow .hub 30 and turn the key in either direction until the pointer member 67 indicates the correct striking period for the next succeeding hour or half-hour. The key 310 may then be withdrawn and the thumb knob 60 of the spring lever 33 released.

It will beunderstood that if the count hook 33 does not then engage in one of the deep notches 28, the colored warning button 62 will not be permitted to move forward into the dial aperture 63, but will remain behind it, thus warning the operator that the key 71 must be turned one way or the other until the count wheel 26 and count hook 33 come into proper alinement.

When it is desired'to wind the main spring 24, it will only be necessary for the operator to reverse the key and insert the socket 31b thereof through the pointer aperture 68 and to turn the key in a clockwise direction.

While there has been disclosed in this specification one form in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form is shown for the purpose of illustration only, and

all. the modifications and embodiments coming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new, and for which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. In a striking clock having time indicating mechanism and strike mechanism, a frame, a, count wheel and a count hook for controlling said strike mechanism, a resilient lever connected at one end to said frame, said count hook normally meshing with said count wheel, and means carried by said lever for moving said count hook out of mesh with said count wheel, to permit said time indicating mechanism and said strike mechanism to be immediately reset to correspond with the correct time without the necessity of striking the clock around.

2. In a striking clock having time indicating mechanism and strike mechanism, a frame, a front plate, a count wheel, a count wheel driving pinion meshing with said count wheel, a count hook for normally controlling the rotation of said count wheel, a manually-operated resilient lever connected to said frame for disengaging said count wheel pinion and said count hook from said count wheel; to permit said time indicating mechanism and said strike mechanism to be immediately and independently reset to correspond with the correct time without the necessity of striking the clock around.

3. In a striking clock having time indicating mechanism and strike mechanism, a frame, a front plate, a count wheel, a count wheel driving pinion meshing with said count wheel, a count hook for normally controlling the rotation of said count wheel, a lever connected to said frame and located in alinement with said count wheel pinion, a convex leaf spring for pressing said pinion into contact with said lever and for keeping said pinion in mesh with said count wheel, the manual movement of said lever causing said pinion and said count hook to be thrown out of mesh with said count wheel to permit said time indicating mechanism and said strike mechanism to be immediately reset to correspond with the correct time without the necessity of striking the clock around.

4. In a striking clock having time indicating mechanism and strike mechanism, a frame, a

front plate, a count wheel, a count wheel driving pinion meshing with said count wheel, a count hook for normally controlling the rotation of said count wheel, a lever connected to said frame and located in alinement with said count wheel pinion, means for pressing said pinion into contact with said lever and for keeping said pinion in mesh with said count wheel, the manual movement of said lever causing said pinion and said count hook to be thrown out of mesh with said count wheel to permit said time indicating mechanism and said strike mechanism to be immediately reset to correspond with the correct time without the necessity of striking the clock around.

5. In a striking clock-having time indicating mechanism and strike mechanism, a frame, a front plate, a count wheel, a count wheel driving pinion meshing with said strike mechanism, a count hook for normally controlling the rotation of said count wheel, a lever connected to said frame and located. in alinement with said count wheel pinion, means for pressing said pinion into contact with said lever and for keeping said pinion in mesh with said count wheel, the manual rearward movement of said lever causing said pinion to be thrown out of mesh with said count wheel to permit said time indicating mechanism and said strike mechanism to be immediately reset independently to correspond with the correct time without the necessity of striking the clock around, said lever carrying a U-shaped yoke for embracing said count hook to cause said count hook to be disengaged from said count wheel and supported from falling when said lever is moved rearwardly.

6. In a striking clock, a front dial plate, time indicating mechanism, strike mechanism including a slidable pinion, a count wheel meshing with said pinion, a count hook for normally controlling the rotation of said count wheel, a lever engaging said loose pinion and having means for embracing said count hook, a handle on the free end of said lever adapted to extend through said front dial plate, the depression of said handle causing said pinion and count hook to be disengaged from said count wheel, to permit said time indicating mechanism and said strike mechanism to be immediately reset to correspond with the correct time without the necessity of striking the clock around. i

I 7. In a striking clock, a front dial plate, time indicating mechanism, strike mechanism including a loose pinion, a count wheel meshing with said pinion, a count hook for normally controlling the rotation of said count wheel, a lever engaging said loose pinion and having means for embracing said count hook, a handle on the free end of said lever adapted to extend through said ront dial plate, the depression of said handle causing said pinion and count hook to be disengaged from said count wheel to permit said time indicating mechanism and said strike mechanism to be immediately reset to correspond with the correct time without the necessity of striking the clock around, and a side arm connected to said handle provided with a warning button visible through said dial, said button lying flush with said dial when said pinion and count hook are engaging with said count wheel.

8. In a striking clock having time indicating hands, a time keeping mechanism, a strike mechanism having a count wheel, a count wheel pinion and count hook cooperatively engaged with said count wheel and a resilient manually-operated lever for disengaging said count hook and pinion from said count wheel to permit said strike mechanism to be immediately reset to correspond with the correct time without the necessity of striking the clock around independently of said time indicating hands.

PETER B. REEVES. 

